Iris

I stumbled in through the front door of my big white house. I hated this house so much. With it’s stupid cream colored walls and stupid gold tile flooring. It’s stupid white stairs with gold railing. I had a bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand and had my other hand on the wall. I was so drunk I could barely make out my mom’s face in front of mine but I could already tell she wasn’t happy. Oh well, she’d get over it. She just stared at me as I walked up the stairs to my room. When I got there I didn’t bother with trying to change because I knew I would fail so I just laid down on the bed and fell asleep dreading the conversation that was going to happen tomorrow.

I woke up with a head ache the size of Earth itself and my alarm clock was beeping like crazy making the head ache even worse. I moved my hand around on my nightstand feeling around for the clock. When I found it I pressed the ‘Off/On’ button turning it off. I moaned and got up. I partied way to hard last night because everything on me was sore. I walked around the room and closed the open curtains and turned on Pandora from my iPhone. It was playing ‘Immaculate Misconception’ by Motionless In White. I didn’t mind this song. I actually like it a lot. I liked Motionless In White just as much. My favorite band regardless was still Sleeping With Sirens though. I liked all of them. They all seemed so nice but Jesse and me seemed like we could either be best friends or worst enemies because we were both very sarcastic. I walked to my dresser. I opened it up and got out some clothes. I didn’t want to go to school today so I decided I was gonna go down to the beach. I loved going swimming. It was always so fun to see the boys gawking like they would get a piece. Another good thing was that the beach was only about a 5 or 10 minute walk from my house. It was a place I could get away from everything especially my mom. Today I was going to a friend’s other friend’s party. Some rockstars and singers from bands were gonna be there because my friend Isabelle’s friend was the one-and-only Gabe Barham of Sleeping With Sirens. She’d told me that she was Gabe’s ex and they were just really good friends now. I didn’t care as long as I got to go to a party somewhere. My mom wasn’t gonna be happy about it though but once again I didn’t care. She didn’t care about me or my little brother when we were younger. I cared about my little brother though. I would take him with me to the party but I didn’t want him to be around all the drinking and there were probably going to be drugs somewhere. There always were. It’s not like having him around mom wasn’t much better though. I put on my swimsuit(http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=91668078) and grabbed my stuff and went downstairs. My mom was up cooking breakfast and I could see through the windows it was the perfect time to get more tan. I already had a natural light tan. It was only a light one. Mom looked up at me. “Where are you going Naomi?” I looked at her like she was an idiot.
“Where does it look like I’m going? I’m going to the beach.” I said walking to the front door.
“No Naomi. We need to talk about last night.” She sighed out. She was pressing my nerves and her luck.
“No Gwen. We don’t.” I said putting my hand on the door knob but she grabbed my arm. “Get off of me!” I yelled at her jerking my arm away.
“We need to talk!” She said looking frustrated.
“Ya know Gwen, we need to talk about a lot of things but we don’t until you want to talk about them. But God Forbid someone to ask you about them!” I shouted at her. “So the next time you wanna talk to me about something and me have any ounce of respect for you then you better spill some stuff first.” I said and opened the door, walked out, and slammed it.

When I got to the beach some people were already there but not a lot. Some kids like me didn’t really care what happened to their grades or whatever they just cared about having fun and living their lives. Other kids were up tight and half dead because they couldn’t stand up for themselves mostly to their parents. Don’t get me wrong I don’t ‘bully’ my mom. Gwen deserves every ounce of the crap I give her. She was a drunk and not a good parent at all. I despised her. I’d had a sister but she was gone now all because Gwen decided getting a bottle of Wine from the liquor store and drinking it on the way home was a good idea. All because her boyfriend had broken up with her. No wonder dad hated her. She was a reckless idiot who caused nothing but trouble. Gwen had been extremely drunk and had passed out while driving and swerved into the other lane and crashed head on into another car. She hadn’t strapped my little sister in her car-seat so she fell and on the ground the wrong way and the force of the impact broke her little neck. She was only 6 years old. I was 12 and when mom came home the next day covered in bruises without my sister and crying like the world had fallen apart around her I immediately knew what had happened. From that day forward I hated her. I rolled my towel out on the sand laid down on it. Soon I fell asleep.

When I woke up I was pretty sure it was already at least 3:00 now. I got up and dusted off my towel and picked my things up and headed back home. When I got inside I went upstairs only to see it was actually 5:00. I had to meet Isabella at her house in 30 minutes. I didn’t have time to get all dolled up even though my definition of dolled up was a skirt and a tube top. I found some clothes in my closet and put them on (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=91671886). I walked out of my room and went downstairs. When I got down there I saw my little brother Luka and picked him up. “I’m gonna tickle you!” I said swinging him around and tickling him. He was laughing like crazy. Luka was only 7 years old. Blonde hair and fair skin. We had different dads but somehow Gwen had custody of him and me. Luka also had the prettiest blue eyes. All of these wonderful features from his father which made me wonder what he looked like. I put Luka back down on the bar stool. Gwen turned to look at me. “Where are you going?” She asked.
“A party.” I said grabbing the car keys.
“No.” She said.
“And who’s gonna stop me?” I said.
“Well, it’s my car.” She said jerking the keys away from me.
“Okay, I don’t need the car I do have legs.” I said.
“Where are you going?” She asked.
“Look, I told you a party. Probably down at the beach near Isabella’s house.” I told her.
“No Naomi! I don’t want you going that far! I know how you’re going to look when you come home! I’m to the point where I don’t even want you to come home because I know how you’re going to be! We can’t keep doing this!” She yelled at me.
“I don’t care! You have ruined my life!” I screamed at her. “When you killed Sarah you didn’t care you just kept drinking! You drink all the time so don’t you dare talk to me about not coming home because you know what this time I won’t!” I screamed at her.
“No wait Naomi! Please-” I slammed the door on her and started running to Isabella’s house.

When I got to the beach near Isabella’s there were already a ton of people there. Some who I recognized and some who I didn’t. I searched around for Isabella and soon I found her sitting next to Gabe Barham. I was a little nervous going near them since Gabe was in my favorite band but I had to go tell Izzy that I was here. “Hey Isabella.” I said and she turned and squealed and gave me a hug.
“You came!” She squealed.
“Yeah I came.” I said laughing. Gabe looked to me then to Izzy.
“I’m guessing this is the best friend she’s talks so much about?” Gabe asked holding out his hand.
“Yeah. I’m Naomi.” I said taking his hand.
“I’m Gabe Barham of Sleeping With Sirens.” He said.
“Oh yeah, I know I’m a big fan and Izzy talks about you too.” I said smiling.
“Naomi’s a bad girl Gabe don’t let her rub off on you.” She said and we laughed. “I saw you down on the beach this morning.” She said. I shrugged.
“Hey, I just didn’t feel like going to school today.” I said. Gabe looked a little surprised.
“Your mom let you skip?” He asked.
“She didn’t want me to but it’s my life so it’s my choice not hers.” I said and Gabe nodded.
“You are just like Isabella’s said.” Gabe said laughing.
“I’m beginning to wonder what she’s said about me.” I said.
“Nothing bad.” He said and I laughed.
“Sureeee.” I said and Izzy laughed.
“Hey, you guys wanna go find the rest of the band with me? They’re probably with the guys from Pierce The Veil over near the ocean.” He said. Now I was a little nervous. Meeting everyone from Sleeping With Sirens? Izzy answered for us.
“Yeah.” She said.
“Have you met them already?” I asked her.
“Gabe and I used to date so yes of course I’ve met them. Don’t worry they’re all really nice.” She said. Izzy was always so calm about everything. It was rare to see her worried. The only time I had seen her anxious and worried had been when her mom was in the hospital because she’d fallen down the stairs at Izzy’s house and broke her hip. Izzy looked just like her mom. Fragile angled face. Lightly tanned skin. Black hair and big light brown eyes. She was very pretty. And she had painters hands. Small and fragile with long, slender fingers that could break like a pierce of glass. But then again Izzy herself looked as fragile as a piece of glass. I wondered how she made it practically on her own. Her mom wasn’t too capable of taking care of her and her dad was in a nursing home. We walked over to everyone in Pierce The Veil. I’d been wanting to meet Jaime Preciado’s new wife, Natalya. She seemed nice and her baby daughter was so cute. Victoria I believe her name was. They were both there. Natalya and Victoria. “Hey everyone! Look it’s Isabella Barham and Gabe Barham and…” Vic yelled and looked at me. “Friend?” He said and everyone laughed even me.
“Guys, really? Izzy and I broke up a long time ago. And this is Naomi.” Gabe said.
“Ah, the legendary Naomi?” Vic asked. I smiled and nodded.
“That would be me.” I said taking a seat on the sand.
“You didn’t tell us she was that pretty Izzy!” I heard a voice whine. I looked and seen it was Mike that’d said that.
“God Mike already trying to flirt?” Another voice said and I seen it was Justin. Oh my god Justin Hills. Mike shrugged.
“A mans gotta do what a mans gotta do.” Mike said smirking. Everyone was sitting on a towel with someone but me. I was sitting on the sand and it had already gotten in my butt.
“Hey, you can sit on my towel if you want.” Justin said to me and on the inside I freaked but on the outside I kept my usual calm and said an thanks and sat on his towel. He was leaning back on both his arms beside me. I sat criss-cross on the towel with my hands in my lap. I really needed to cut my hair because it was touching the towel without me even tilting my head down.
“Okay, let’s go in a circle and ask her what we want to know about her. Don’t be nervous we did this to Isabella too.” Said Kellin Quinn. I nodded. “Okay I’ll go first. Do you know what two bands you’re sitting with?”
“Sleeping With Sirens and Pierce The Veil. Two of my favorite bands.” I said.
“Alright I already like her.” Said Kellin. I smiled.
“It’s hard not to like all this.” I said.
“Whoa we got another Jesse.” Kellin said and we all laughed. “Okay, Jesse’s turn.” Kellin said.
“Alright, what’s your full name?” Jesse said.
“Naomi Scarlett Lynn.” I said.
“Nice. I like the Naomi.” Jesse said.
“Thanks.” I said.
“No problem.”
“Next!” shouted Kellin.
“Okay, how old are you?” Gabe asked.
“17 I’ll be 18 in a few weeks.” I said.
“Next!” Kellin shouted.
“Wanna date?” Mike said and I smiled.
“Sorry but no.” I said shooting him a smile.
“Ooooo. Someone finally turned Mike down!” Vic said. We all laughed.
“Next!” Kellin said still gathering himself after that laughing fit.
“Alright do you drink?” Vic asked.
“Yep.” I said and Vic threw me a cold beer. “Thank you.” I said tipping the beer to him.
“No problemo.” He said smiling.
“Next!” Said Kellin.
“Alright wanna go shopping together sometime?” Natalya asked me.
“Of course.” I said and she smiled and went back to attending Victoria. They skipped over Jaime and Tony and Natalie and went to Justin.
“Justin ask our new friend a question.” Said Kellin.
“Hmm…are you single?” Justin asked a crowd of ooo’s went around. I smiled.
“Yes.” I said.
“Well, that’s all I need to know.” Justin said quietly. I just barely heard him but it was enough to make me smile wider than I thought possible. Tonight was gonna be a fun night.